Bill Maher Compares Chris Rock to Jackie Kennedy After Will Smith Slap


Bill Maher and Chris Rock.
Shutterstock (3)

Supporting his friend — with controversial comments. After Chris RockWas slapped by Will SmithThe 2022 Oscars Bill MaherHe was praised by the comedian for his response.

“Chris Rock is the hero here and has been a hero many times to me in my life. He is not only one of the most state-of-the art comedians we have ever seen. At that moment, he was Jackie Kennedy, but on a smaller scale. [John F. Kennedy],” Maher, 66, said during an interview with TMZ on Tuesday, March 29. “We are looking at someone to pull it together with dignity and get the train back on the tracks. He did it and I think he should get a lot of credit for it.”

The political commentator observed that Rock, at 57, handled this incident well considering it was live.

“I think Chris Rock did a lot of good. I thought he reacted as well as you could in that situation,” Maher added. “It was not a good look for Will. I could make a case that we all have been under a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of emotion running through him. It was a bit outlandish and reinforced the notion that jokes are the enemy. It is sort of, like, cancel culture encapsulated.”

On Sunday, March 27, the 94th Academy Awards will be held. Saturday Night LiveAlum made a joke in which he referred “to” Jada pinkett SmithG.I. Jane because of her shaved head. After her wife, 51, laughed at the comment, her husband (53-year-old) walked up on the stage and slapped Jane. The Girls TripActress has previously stated that she has alopecia.

“Will Smith just smacked the s—t out of me,” the South Carolina native said in censored footage that later circulated online. The King Richard star yelled at Rock multiple times to “keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth.” In response, Rock attempted to laugh the interaction off before promising not to mention Pinkett Smith.

For Maher, the altercation didn’t make sense since Smith initially seemed to find the joke funny. “At first you saw he was laughing at the joke. This is what happens a lot with cancel stuff,” the television host said on Tuesday while questioning if the Suicide SquadStar felt that he was being offended. “Then there’s the overreaction.”

The Bill Maher – Real Time host pointed out that he found Rock’s joke to be a compliment to the Red Table Talk host.

“I had heard the term alopecia but I didn’t really associate it. It was something, whatever, I knew that it was, and then I realized what it was. [realized]It was losing hair. Alopecia does not mean leukemia. We are all struggling with our hair,” the New York native said. “It is kind of ridiculous. If that is where you draw the line, that is the no joke zone, then you need to get over yourself.”

One day after the shocking moment made headlines, the Academy Award winner apologized for his “unacceptable and inexcusable” actions toward Rock. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was not in line with the rules and I was wrong. I am ashamed of my actions and they are not indicative of the man that I want to become. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,” Smith wrote via Instagram.

The Philadelphia native added: “I would also like to apologize to The Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I apologize to my King Richard Family and the Williams Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”

Pinkett Smith, for her part, shared an Instagram quote on Tuesday, which read, “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.”

On the same day, comedians Jim CarreyAfter watching the altercation, Rock also defended himself. “I was sickened,” Carrey, 60, said during an appearance on CBS Mornings. “I was sickened by the standing ovation [when Will later won the Academy Award for best actor]. It felt like Hollywood was just spineless en masse. It really felt like, ‘Oh, this is a really clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore.”

Listen to Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood as each week, the editors of Us breakdown the most important entertainment news stories.
Listen on Google Play Music